


you'll probably go to heaven

by screechfox



Series: we're going for a ride [2]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Double Drabble, Drabble Sequence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-08 23:14:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14704494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screechfox/pseuds/screechfox
Summary: “Were you ever going to tell me I was adopted?”Brian pauses in the middle of his tinkering, looking up at his son. Rory’s expression is an awkward neutrality that it seems like he’s worn forever, but the tap of his fingers against the table betrays a hidden nervousness.“It never seemed like the right time,” Brian says, a little feebly. “How did you find out?”(A sequence of double drabbles in which the family Pond-Williams, plus one, respond to the changes in Rory Williams.)





	you'll probably go to heaven

**Author's Note:**

> this series is one part a love letter to this dumb fan-theory, and one part a love letter to drabbles and other similar writing techniques. god, i love them.
> 
> title from 'i can't decide' by the scissor sisters, because of course it is.

**1.**

“Were you ever going to tell me I was adopted?”

Brian pauses in the middle of his tinkering, looking up at his son. Rory’s expression is an awkward neutrality that it seems like he’s worn forever, but the tap of his fingers against the table betrays a hidden nervousness.

“It never seemed like the right time,” Brian says, a little feebly. “How did you find out?”

Rory exhales, pressing a hand to his chest like something is hurting him.

“It’s a _long story_ , Dad.”

Brian smiles. He’s still ‘Dad’.

“Now, listen, you’re my son no matter what. And I’m sure your mother would have said the same thing. Blood and genes aren’t important, not really.”

Rory smiles, fond in a way that sits oddly on his face - as though something old is peering out through his eyes, and Brian is hardly more than a child.

“Oh, come here, Dad.”

Warmth in his eyes, Rory comes over and hugs Brian tightly. Brian hugs back with all his fatherly energy. He can feel a quickfire pulse against his skin, and he laughs.

“Blimey, you were really nervous about asking me, weren’t you?”

Rory laughs too, awkwardly, a little strained.

“Yeah, uh. Nervous.”

 

**2.**

Tabetha Pond has always considered Rory Williams a sensible man - a very good fit for her wild and headstrong daughter.

Lately, though, she’s not so sure.

Now, don’t get her wrong, he still seems like a nice young man, and he still follows Amelia around with that puppy-dog look in his eyes that he’s had since he was a child, but, well…

Sometimes there seems to be a manic slant to his face nowadays, and it worries her.

She’s heard stories, after all. Drugs and violence, and while Rory has never seemed like an addict or an abuser, Tabetha knows well enough that appearances can be deceiving.

“He’s fine, Mum,” Amelia tells her, as though her concern is silly and trivial.

“He’s just going through some things,” Amelia adds, when Tabetha continues pushing, as if such a vague answer could satisfy anyone at all.

But she lets it lie: Amy is as wild and carefree as ever, and Tabetha knows that her firecracker wouldn’t dare let someone mistreat her.

Still, Rory’s servings are smaller now, whenever he comes around for dinner.

Now, she winces whenever his eyes go bright and fervent, or when he smiles that wide and toothy grin.

 

**3.**

“It was something alien, wasn’t it?”

Now, Jeff Angelo hasn’t spoken to Rory in a while - he couldn’t make it to the stag party _or_ to the wedding - but there’s a difference in him that time apart just doesn’t account for.

Rory gives him a sharp, dark smirk, and his eyes glitter with something that leaves chills running up and down Jeff’s spine.

“You catch on quick,” he says. The danger leaves his expression as he claps Jeff on the back. “No one else has noticed so far.”

“ _No one else_ knows that there are plenty of things in the universe that can go body-snatching whenever they please.” Rory shoots Jeff a look, one eyebrow raised, but Jeff meets his eyes unflinchingly. He’s a member of UNIT, he can handle himself.

“It’s not quite as simple as that,” Rory says, but doesn’t continue. He taps a beat of four against his leg.

Oddly, Jeff believes him.

“Does Amy know?” he asks instead. Because, if she does, that’s all _he_ needs to know.

Rory’s fingers still, and he nods.

“She does.”

Jeff smiles, and claps him on the back. Alien or not, Rory is still pretty weedy.

“Good on you, mate.”

 

**4.**

Melody Pond (not yet settled into River Song’s skin) is quite startled when she goes to take her father’s pulse, only to discover the familiar quickfire heartbeat of a Time Lord.

She feels, perhaps a little childishly, that she ought to have been told.

“Oh, hell,” Rory says. His expression betrays a mixture of frustration and sheepishness. “I didn’t realise you didn’t already know.”

Unfortunately, the situation gets a little complicated then, with guns and shooting and shouting, and so the chance to ask slips from her fingers like sand.

 

It’s several hours later, when they finally get back to the TARDIS, that Melody finally gets the chance to interrogate her father.

“You’re a Time Lord.”

Across the console, the Doctor pauses. He looks up, his eyes filling with that well of ancient concern she’s becoming familiar with. She waves him off at roughly the same time as her father does, and pushes a wave of irritation down.

Rory meets her eyes, not denying anything.

“When did _that_ happen?”

“A while ago,” he says, and when she opens her mouth to push further, he shakes his head. “No spoilers, Melody.”

Ugh. Why does life have to be so _complicated_ sometimes?

**Author's Note:**

> as always, you can find me at screechfoxes on tumblr!


End file.
